Patrick Wilson Confirms ‘Ant-Man’ Casting; Calls it an ‘Important’ Role

Just last week news broke that Patrick Wilson was in talks for a role in Ant-Man, but the report came with zero information on who he might play. It was mentioned that Marvel was on the lookout for “another charismatic leading man” and that suggests a hero like the title character Ant-Man, but we've already got two of those.

Paul Rudd is set to play Scott Lang and Michael Douglas is stepping in to play the older Ant-Man, Hank Pym, but there is still speculation that there might be a third iteration of Ant-Man in mix. It’s been mentioned that the film could include a flashback sequence featuring a young version of Pym and that just happens to be a role that could suit Patrick Wilson quite well.

While talking to Wilson in Austin, Texas about his SXSW entry, Space Station 76, we made an attempt at straightening all of this out, but Wilson had a little too much fun steering clear of divulging concrete information and turned the conversation into a rapid fire Q&A:

Have you tried on a costume?Wilson: No.

Good or Evil?Wilson: Can’t tell you.

You’re in the movie though, right?Wilson: Yeah.

Big role or small role?Wilson: Important.

Have you read the script?Wilson: Yes.

You don’t get terser than that, but Wilson’s responses do offer a little more insight into his current casting status and the possibilities for the role. He is confirming his involvement here, so clearly he must be beyond the negotiations stage at this point and have a role locked.

And then there’s also his choice to use the word “important.” Marvel movies do tend to come with a wealth of familiar faces, but, on occasion, they are reduced to just a few scenes and aren’t all that pivotal to the narrative. Whether Wilson is due for a significant amount of screen time in Ant-Man­ or not, the fact that the character will be “important” is really what matters.

You can catch Wilson talking about Ant-Man­ as well as The Conjuring sequel in the video clip below, and also keep an eye out for our full interview with him, Matt Bomer and writer-director Jack Plotnick on Space Station 76 coming soon.